Residents in two Port Washington villages will head to the polls Tuesday, June 16, to cast ballots in local elections that will determine leadership in Manorhaven and Sands Point.
While voters in the Village of Manorhaven will choose among competing slates in a contested race for mayor and trustee seats, residents in the Village of Sands Point will vote in an uncontested election featuring two incumbent trustees seeking new terms.
Polling in both villages will take place from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at their respective village halls.
The Village of Manorhaven election features two competing tickets: Manorhaven Forward and New Hope.
Incumbent Mayor John Popeleski is seeking a third two-year term on the Manorhaven Forward ticket. A 28-year Manorhaven resident, Popeleski is a retired water district employee and a 26-year member of Atlantic Hook and Ladder Company. He first joined the board of trustees in 2016 and has served as mayor since 2022.
Challenging Popeleski for mayor is Elan Wolf, who is running on the New Hope ticket. A seven-year Manorhaven resident, Wolf is a Marine Corps veteran and former Rikers Island correction officer who has also worked in emergency management, forensic laboratory operations and private business ownership. He is running for elected office for the first time.
The race for trustee includes incumbent Monica Ildefonso and newcomer Christine Zahn on the Manorhaven Forward ticket, facing incumbent Deputy Mayor Harry Farina and newcomer Delsy Omara on the New Hope ticket.
Ildefonso, a Manorhaven resident for more than four decades, has long been involved in local community organizations and has emphasized serving as a bridge between village government and the community’s Spanish-speaking residents.
Zahn, a lifelong Port Washington resident whose father previously served as a village trustee, spent much of her career organizing large-scale conferences and trade shows for professional associations. She entered the race after becoming active in community opposition to several proposed high-density development projects.
Farina, a lifelong Port Washington resident and owner of a construction and landscaping company, currently serves as Manorhaven’s deputy mayor. He has served on the Board of Trustees since the administration of former Mayor Jim Avena and is seeking re-election on the New Hope ticket.
Source: LI Press
